Abstract
The recent incursions of African swine fever (ASF), a severe, highly contagious, transboundary viral disease that affects members of the Suidae family, in Europe and China have had a catastrophic impact on trade and pig production, with serious implications for global food security. Despite efforts made over past decades, there is no vaccine or treatment available for preventing and controlling the ASF virus (ASFV) infection, and there is an urgent need to develop novel strategies. Genome condensation and packaging are essential processes in the life cycle of viruses. The involvement of viral DNA-binding proteins in the regulation of virulence genes, transcription, DNA replication, and repair make them significant targets. pA104R is a highly conserved HU/IHF-like DNA-packaging protein identified in the ASFV nucleoid that appears to be profoundly involved in the spatial organization and packaging of the ASFV genome. Here, we briefly review the components of the ASFV packaging machinery, the structure, function, and phylogeny of pA104R, and its potential as a target for vaccine and drug development.
Highlights
African swine fever (ASF) is a severe hemorrhagic viral disease that affects members of the Suidae family, including domestic pigs, wild boar, and warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus), considered the original vertebrate host
The mechanism of genome encapsidation in ASF virus (ASFV) has not been fully characterized, but evidence suggests it shares similarities to that of Mimivirus and other large NCLDVs, which rely on a packaging
PA104R is highly conserved among virulent and non-virulent ASFV isolates, and phylogenetic tree reconstruction shows a high degree of similarity with Proteobacterial and Terrabacteria group
Summary
African swine fever (ASF) is a severe hemorrhagic viral disease that affects members of the Suidae family, including domestic pigs, wild boar, and warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus), considered the original vertebrate host. It can involve soft tick vectors of the genus Ornithodoros, which have played an important role in the epidemiology of the disease in the Iberian Peninsula and Africa [1]. The general lack of biosecurity measures and inability to control outbreaks effectively, especially in the backyard sector, as well as the existence of large areas of interaction between free-ranging pigs and wild boar, means there is a high risk that ASF may become endemic in this region and spread further into unaffected areas [1,6]. In the absence of a vaccine, the ASF incursion into countries such as China which rely heavily on the pork production industry and own almost half the world’s domestic pig population, has had a catastrophic impact on trade and pig production, with serious implications for global food security
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